


I can do it all with you by my side

by S_Horne



Series: A May Medley [17]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Parent Bucky Barnes, to a degree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-07 01:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18862681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Horne/pseuds/S_Horne
Summary: But now Steve was finally doing it. He had a degree. He’d gone back for the second time, signed on and enrolled for the third time in total, and he’d not stopped once. Every day had been a new struggle, but he hadn’t given up.He had an actual degree to his name. A degree complete with cap and gown and he felt as though he might actually burst from pride. Being proud of himself was a new feeling, but it was one that Steve was starting to enjoy.ORNational Graduation Tassel Day





	I can do it all with you by my side

**Author's Note:**

> Day Seventeen: _National Graduation Tassel Day/Pizza Party (third Friday in May)_

Steve was graduating. _Finally_.

It had taken him well over fifteen years to complete a college course. He wasn’t ashamed about that due to the circumstances of his dropouts, but it felt so good to be actually be seeing something through for once. When he was 20, Steve had dropped out of his first degree due to his Ma’s ill health and his need to find a full-time job and support her. His second dropout had been when he was 30 and Peter had come along. Despite him having to give up college in order to work and look after a new-born baby, there was no way that Steve was ever going to regret doing that. Not once had he ever; how could he when he looked at the beautiful boy blinking up at him with a gummy smile and bright eyes?

But now Steve was finally doing it. He had a degree. He’d gone back for the second time, signed on and enrolled for the third time in total, and he’d not stopped once. Every day had been a new struggle, but he hadn’t given up.

He had an actual degree to his name. A degree complete with cap and gown and he felt as though he might actually burst from pride. Being proud of himself was a new feeling, but it was one that Steve was starting to enjoy.

 

//  


“Can I wear it? Can I, can I, can I?”

Steve laughed as he pulled his graduation cap off and plopped it onto Peter’s head. It just about covered his whole face, but the boy beamed up as though it were a crown.

“Look at me, Daddy!” he crowed excitedly and Bucky laughed, bending over to sweep him up into his arms.

“Have you graduated already?” he asked, voice heavy with faux-concern as he adjusted the tassel. “Where did my little boy go?”

“No, silly,” Peter said seriously, catching Bucky’s face between his hands and leaning in to squish their noses together. “I’m only trying it on. It’s Uncle Steve’s.”

“That’s right,” Tony said, wrapping his arms around Steve and leaning into his side. His smile was brighter than the sun, as cliché as that was, and Steve couldn’t resist dropping a kiss to Tony’s temple. “It’s your Uncle Steve’s.”

The pride in Tony’s voice was almost too much for Steve to bear, so he turned to poke Peter in the side as a way to hide the tears in his eyes.

“He’s just anticipating the day that it’ll be his turn, aren’t you, Pete? Cause you’re going to do this one day.”

Peter giggled happily, nodding so enthusiastically that the cap fell down over his eyes.

Tony reached out with the hand not tucked into Steve’s back pocket and pushed it back up, smiling softly. “And then maybe the cap will actually fit you. Go on then, kiddo. What are you going to study?”

 

//

 

“Are you sure you want to celebrate with us? You and Tony should go out for a night.”

“We always go out,” Steve said, adjusting his gown with a furrowed brow. All of a sudden it was refusing to hang right and kept falling off one shoulder. “We went out yesterday as a ‘congratulations’.”

“Well, I think you and Bucky should go out,” Tony said, reaching out to take Peter from Bucky and swinging the boy onto his own hip. “Leave the kid with me and you two can go out and celebrate, old school style.”

Steve held up his hand when Bucky opened his mouth to argue again. “I’ve told you both what I wanted to do. In fact, I’ve had this planned for nearly ten years,” Steve flicked Peter’s nose to hear him giggle and shrugged, “with one slight addition to those plans. All I want to do is order pizza and watch a film with my three favourite men. My best friend, my husband, and my nephew. Okay? That is as good a celebration as any and I can’t think of anything I’d rather do more.”

Tony softened and relented, closing his mouth when Steve wrapped an arm around his shoulders to pull him close. Peter reached up and smacked a wet kiss to Steve’s cheek and the man gave a bright laugh as Tony let his head drop onto Steve’s arm.

“Sounds good to me, babe.”

“And me,” Bucky said, clapping a hand to Steve’s shoulder. “Pepperoni?”

“Cheese!” Peter cried, throwing his arms up and practically launching himself at Bucky.

Tony winced when Peter’s foot caught his stomach and surged forward to ensure that Peter made his leap successfully. “Chicken, you little heathen.”

“Chicken?” Bucky screwed up his face, turning to look at Peter and encouraging the boy to copy him. “You’re the heathen if you want me to ruin a pizza with chicken.”

“Ruin? How is that ruining anything? Come back here, Pete. You’ve got to be on my side, bud. You like chicken, don’t you? You like your Uncle Tony’s pizza choices more than Daddy’s.”

“Oh, don’t you try and turn my son into a heathen as well. Cheese and pepperoni only. Buy your own if you want chicken.”

“Buy my own? Excuse me, whose house do you think we’re holding this shindig at? You can’t expect me to–”

 _Yeah,_ Steve smiled, _this was exactly what he wanted._

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> [my little tumblr](https://s-horne.tumblr.com/)


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